Why Salt Might Be the Key to Migraines, Metabolic Health, and Brain Function

How Dr. Angela Stanton’s "unconventional approach" challenges mainstream medicine—and what it means for your health.

Rethinking Health From the Ground Up

When you hear “migraine,” most people think of medications, dark rooms, and avoiding triggers. But what if the solution wasn’t found in a pharmacy, but in your kitchen—more specifically, in your salt shaker?

I sat down with Dr. Angela Stanton, neuroscientist, migraine researcher, and author of Fighting the Migraine Epidemic. Our conversation unraveled into something far bigger than migraines—it touched insulin in the brain, metabolic flexibility, hydration myths, cancer nutrition, and why the glycemic index may not be as useful as we’ve been told. I am going to be posting a series of blog posts covering these different topics over the next couple of weeks.

Dr. Stanton’s message is clear: much of what we’ve been taught about food, electrolytes, and health is not just wrong—it’s making us sick.

Angela Stanton’s Journey: From Academia to Migraine Liberation

Angela Stanton holds a PhD in neuroeconomics, with training at Stanford, UCLA, Harvard, and the Max Planck Institute. Her research into neurotransmitters and decision-making gave her a unique lens into the brain’s electrical and chemical balance.

But her real breakthrough came not in a lab, but through her own pain. Debilitating migraines forced her to rethink everything. After failed medications and endless suffering, she discovered something shocking: salt stopped her migraines in their tracks.

That discovery snowballed into years of self-experimentation, data collection, and patient work. Today, her Stanton Migraine Protocol has helped tens of thousands worldwide reclaim their health.

Insulin in the Brain: Memory, Resistance, and Cognitive Decline

Most of us think of insulin as “the blood sugar hormone.” But as Dr. Stanton explains, insulin has a crucial role in the brain. It clears and maintains neuronal connections, especially in memory centers, allowing networks to stay sharp and functional.

When insulin resistance develops in the brain, those connections degrade. This is one reason memory problems and early Alzheimer’s may be linked to impaired insulin transport across the blood-brain barrier. Studies even show that intranasal insulin can temporarily restore memory in Alzheimer’s patients.¹

For migraineurs, the lesson is immediate. Migraines often reflect a deeper struggle with metabolic instability—too much glucose, not enough sodium, impaired signaling between cells. If the brain’s ability to use insulin falters, neurons can’t efficiently access fuel. That same dysfunction that clouds memory in dementia can also destabilize the electrical balance that triggers migraines. Stanton argues that restoring metabolic health through proper salt intake and controlled carbohydrate use not only stabilizes cognition but also prevents the cascade of events that ignite a migraine.

Salt, Hydration, and the Great Misconception

For decades, we’ve been told salt is dangerous, driving high blood pressure and heart disease. Stanton’s work flips this script. She argues that salt is not only safe but essential for proper brain and muscle function.

Migrainers, she notes, are “salt wasters”—they excrete up to 50% more sodium than non-migraine sufferers. Without enough sodium, neurons can’t fire correctly, blood pressure drops, and migraines spiral out of control.

Her advice? Don’t fear salt—just pair it with water. Taking salt in water (rather than just food) ensures proper hydration and prevents electrolyte imbalances. Athletes, kidney patients, and even sauna-goers can benefit from this practice, she argues.

If you want the full details of Dr. Stanton’s Migraine Protocol, including her exact nutritional breakdowns, metabolic flexibility tests, and how she adapts her protocol for cancer, athletes, and different health conditions, become a paid supporter of my Substack.